A buoyancy compensation device is used by a diver to adjust buoyancy during a dive. Such a device is commonly used to off-set buoyancy changes induced as a diver descends while wearing a neoprene wet suit. Such a wet suit is quite buoyant at the surface of the water because air is trapped in the neoprene. Typically, a diver will wear weights to off-set this positive buoyancy to assist in descending. As the diver descends however, the air trapped in the neoprene compresses, reducing the positive buoyancy such that the deeper the diver descends, the more negative the buoyancy becomes. A buoyancy compensation device (BCD) typically has at least one air chamber which the diver fills with air to off-set this increasing negative tendency, to thus maintain neutral buoyancy regardless of the depth of the dive. Conversely, as the diver ascends, air is released from the BCD to avoid rising too quickly as with the reduced pressure, the air in the neoprene expands, increasing positive buoyancy.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,233, a buoyancy compensator is described that also functions as a safety device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,513, a buoyancy compensator is described that is integral with a back pack and harness structure for supporting a tank of compressed air on the back of a diver.
These devices fail to address a problem with BCD's. For example, the device shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 of the '233 Patent illustrates that the device inflates completely about the periphery. It has been found that such BCD's, when inflated can be uncomfortable, in that they tend to bulge in the areas closest to the surface, regardless of the orientation of the diver, and that even partially inflated, they tend to expand to the point that they induce drag while the wearer is swimming in or on the surface of the water. Further, at present, there are no devices which allow for the adjustment of the buoyancy compensation device in different areas about its periphery or to assure equalization of pressure to avoid air shifts during diving as the diver changes orientation.